“There’s nothing for him here,” Viktor told her, inching closer. He glanced to Rafe. Holding his hand outward, he waved him away. Stand back.
“You don’t know what I know,” she challenged him. “He’s already aware of what happens on this realm. He knows about you. He takes special interest in you.”
“No more than the others,” Viktor lied, knowing he’d given up his humanity.
“You were the favorite. His star.” Théa laughed. “The golden child.”
Waverly’s eyes widened in shock. “Let me go.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Viktor yelled.
“Oui, oui, ma chérie. It’s true. This vampire is every bit the monster Baxter is. His prize student. Tell her. Tell her what you’ve done.”
“Let her go, Théa.” Viktor watched as Waverly’s eyes went blank, processing the vampire’s lies.
“He was Daddy’s favorite. He sold his soul.” Théa tightened her grip around Waverly’s neck. “And because you’ve become his favorite, well I’m afraid you must die. But oh no, no.” The vampire stuck out her tongue and dragged it over Waverly’s cheek.
“Get off,” Waverly struggled but could not break free.
“Torture will serve him well. You, and her.” Théa gave an icy smile. “He is coming. And there’s nothing you can do to change it.”
“Let her go. Take me instead,” Viktor begged. With no options, he’d have to risk it all and flash to her. “Let’s talk this out. I’ll go with you…just leave Waverly.”
“The next twenty-four hours will be delicious. Come watch her death. I will drink your tears.” Théa pressed her lips to Waverly’s temple. “See you tomorrow night, brother. We’ll meet where Satan lives.”
“No!” Viktor yelled, flashing to them.
As he appeared where Théa had just stood, he released a guttural scream. Viktor fell to his knees and banged his fists on the ground, the air burning from his lungs. “Waverly!”
Théa had taken her.
13
“I’ve got to get her back,” Viktor avowed. Guilt punched a hole in his gut.
“I can’t believe it’s Théa. I thought Kellen staked her.” Quintus placed a large bowl of food onto the long, wooden kitchen table and stared at his brother. “You should eat. It’ll make you feel better. Come sit down.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice.” Rafe, already sitting at the kitchen table, reached for the ladle and spooned spaghetti and meatballs onto his plate.
“She could have taken her anywhere. I’ve tried sensing her. Calling to her. And I’ve got nothing. This is my fault. None of this would have happened had I not chased after her.” Viktor leaned his forearm onto the fireplace mantle. “I should have completed the bond. She would have more protection.”
“You can’t keep beating yourself up,” Greyson said.
“Théa would be stronger than her anyway. She’s older, and bonding wouldn’t make her invincible. There’s no superpower. It only allows her immortality in that she won’t age,” Quintus told him.
“It doesn’t matter.” Viktor stared blankly at the stone, regretting ever bringing her into his diabolical world. “I didn’t do it. Fuck.”
“She won’t be able to have pups,” Rafe commented and rolled the spaghetti with his fork. “When that’s taken from you…well, it’s better if it’s a choice. Vik was right to do what he did.”
“You may still be able to have pups. We don’t know that yet,” Viktor said without looking at him. Like Baxter had done to him, he’d done to Rafe. If he’d been human, having children would have been impossible, but his magick as wolf could influence his fate.
“Can’t have pups without a mate. I’m single as a pringle. But who knows what will happen? Given my circumstances, I’m not even sure I’ll have one. But this isn’t about me. I’m just seeing why you didn’t rush things with her. I get it. This isn’t your fault.”
“This has always been about me. From the minute I walked into that blood bar. Someone saw me, saw something in the way I looked at her.”
“How could Adam have planned all this?” Quintus asked.
“I don’t know. Théa must have given him the fleam. It’s the ultimate mind fuck.”
“Baxter may be dead and in Hell but he’s very much alive in Théa,” Viktor reflected, embarrassed to admit the truth. “I could see it in her eyes. Fuck. It’s not like I don’t get it. For years, he was alive in me. But that’s not who I am.” Viktor turned to them. “I can’t believe she’s trying to get that motherfucker out of Hell. What if there’s more of his spawn working with her?”
“We will get Waverly,” Greyson assured him.
“It would take a lot to get him out and even then. Dead is dead. Even when conjurings are involved or necromancy, even at its best, it just doesn’t work well,” Quintus told him.
“But she knew I’d meet Waverly, that she was my soulmate. None of us knew that. That shit only comes from two places, Heaven or Hell, and we know it wasn’t the former. It would take a lot of favors in Hell to get sight to know the future. To predict where I’d go. To know she’d be the one.”
“Baxter always did have a way of bringing all the right parties together. Like some psycho ringmaster. He’s got humans who drink blood, worshiping vampires. Vampires who hate humans, trying to break their sire out of Hell.” Greyson spooned food onto his plate.
“That’s a tall order,” Rafe observed. “I still don’t understand why she’s got humans working with her. How badass can she be if she needs Adam?”
“Who the hell knows? It’s not often humans have a go at vampires like they did back at the storage facility.”
“And vampires,” Rafe added. “Adam had a few of those too. They were younger vampires. Not too hard to take out but still.”
“What about the fleam?” Greyson asked
“She knows we’ll bring it back to her…to him. Maybe it’s got value in Hell. Even if it has no value, it lured us into the game. It took Waverly into a different realm, gave them our location.” Viktor shook his head, his eyes intense. “Look what she’s done. From the beginning she’s caused confusion. Chaos. Fear. This game is his.”
“I’m never gonna ever say he’s alive, but it’s kind of hard not to think of him when you look at that bloodletter. It’s his fucking initials,” Greyson said.
“Théa’s taken the only person I’ve ever…” Loved. “It’s all about fear, humiliation, pain. Even if he’s in Hell he knows this. And Théa knows it. She’s felt it to the core of her existence. We all have.”
The room fell silent. The fear that Baxter generated had once fueled his days. Hundreds of years ago, he’d stopped looking over his shoulder, and he’d buried the fear so deep he’d forgotten the emotion. But since Théa had now kidnapped the only woman he’d ever loved, the darkness had returned, the terror of losing her churning in his gut like a ticking time bomb.